Warm weather and special shows highlighted the action over the weekend as the BOSS Wingless Sprint Series and the Patriot Sprint Tour invaded the area.
Friday at Lernerville Speedway the BOSS series made their annual visit to the Sarver oval. A strong field of thirty-two topless sprinters filled the pits and put on a thrilling race.
The BOSS series produced what many are calling the most exciting finish of the season at Lernerville. With just two laps to go there were no less than a half a dozen drivers battling for the lead. When the dust settled it was Justin Owen edging defending track champion AJ Flick for his first career BOSS win. It was a great run for Flick who charged to the front from his sixteenth place starting spot.
Other winners Friday at Lernerville included Nick Ritchey of Oil City winning the RUSH modified feature. Bryce Davis of Hornell, NY was the winner of the RUSH late model feature while Bob Egley was the winner of the sportsman night cap. Fab 4 racing returns to Lernerville this Friday with action starting at 7:30.
After Lernerville the BOSS series moved to Pittsburgh Motor Speedway where Dustin Smith and Shawn Westerfield battled for the lead with Smith coming out on top and going on to a convincing win. Early leader Zach Morrow went for a high flying flip while leading in turn one destroying his car but walked away unharmed.
The ULMS late model series invaded Thunder Mountain Speedway in Brookville this past Friday where John Volpe of Lakewood, NY scored his first career ULMS victory over series point leader Dave Hess. This Friday at Thunder Mountain it will be mid-season championships and holiday fireworks on the card.
It was Auto Racers for Kids Night at Mercer Raceway Park presented by Bonnell’s Collision Center. For the second consecutive week, Jack Sodeman Jr parked his 23jr tribute car in victory lane at the Mercer oval. This time, the win was worth a cool 4,000 dollars for the Ohio native.
The Patriot Sprint Tour which features 360 sprint cars from New York, Canada and Pennsylvania was also on the card and also running for 4,000 dollars. After scoring his first win since 2005 just a week earlier at Raceway 7 in Conneaut, Ohio Kyle Drum was back in victory lane holding off teammate Justin Zimbardi for the big win.
Andy Priest was the winner of the 305 sprint car feature bringing a close to the night and the sprint car triple header.
Mercer Raceway Park will be back in action this Saturday but the 410 sprint cars will not be on the card.
This Saturday Sharon Speedway will present their biggest show of the year as they honor the late great Lou Blaney with the “Lou Blaney Memorial.” The show will feature Tony Stewart’s All-Star Circuit of Champions in a huge 10,000 to win the show and they will be joined by The Mod Tour featuring the big block modifieds.
Some of the region’s top touring drivers including All-Star point leader Chad Kemenah, Dave and Dale Blaney, Danny Holtgraver, Kraig Kinser, and many others will be on hand to take on the best western Pennsylvania has to offer. All the area’s top modified drivers are expected along with a few New York invaders.
Rick’s Racing Roundup is brought to you by:
Ron Seidle’s Redbank Chevrolet
Red Bandana Winery
Prime Choice Wireless
Bauer Truck Repair
Dagny Design Group
About Rick
Rick Rarer, a Franklin resident, is the owner of Racestud.com and SprintCarNews.com. He has been covering racing for 18 years, taking racing photos for 13 years, and has covered races at over 100 tracks in 15 states. Most recently, Rick won the Bill Steinbach Media Award at the Lernerville Speedway Annual Awards Banquet.
Copyright © 2024 EYT Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of the contents of this service without the express written consent of EYT Media Group, Inc. is expressly prohibited.
